The 16 sweetest free prizes that ever came inside cereal boxes

Glow-in-the-dark pens! Spy kits! Terrariums! We dig deep into the past to find these toys.

Last year, Cracker Jack got rid of physical prizes inside their snack boxes. It was the end of an era. Now kids get some kind of download, or have to scan a QR code with their phone. That's hardly the same thrill as digging for a little toy buried amidst the peanuts and popcorn.

Cereal prizes have slowly faded away as well. There was a time you could find a tiny plastic thingamajig in the bottom of every box. The boxes themselves were often toys, that you could convert into, say, a basketball backboard. General Mills, Post and Kellogg's gave away everything from toy cars and rockets to binoculars and decoder rings.

We shoved our entire forearm down into the cereal immediately after opening the box. We did not wait to eat our way to the prize.

Here are the most memorable free prizes we ever found inside a cereal box. Which was your favorite?

1. Terrariums inside Alpha Bits

Some parents said cereal was too sugary and unhealthy. However, thanks to these terrariums, you could tell Mom, "But I'm going to grow my own Luther Burbank Sweet Basil and Curled Cress!" It's basically a salad, Mom.

2. Jackson 5 Records on Super Sugar Crisp

Technically this is the back of the box, not inside the box, but how cool was dropping a needle on Sugar Crisp packaging? Sure, the vinyl revival is great, but when is the cardboard revival coming? The cartoon, honey-sweet Archies were an ideal pop act for such gimmicks, but the Jackson 5 were classics.

3. Star Trek Badges in Kellogg's Sugar Smacks

Obviously, we're a little partial to anything Star Trek. These badges were one of the earliest sci-fi franchise tie-ins you could find in cereal. Notice that Spock's uniform has "SPOCK" on the front, in case you didn't recognize him.

9. Archies Car in Alpha Bits

10. 5-in-1 Spy Kit in Pink Panther Flakes

Spies were all the craze in the 1960s, and this made us feel a little closer to Napoleon Solo. The tool came with a magnifying glass, secret message slot and whistle. Though we're not sure how much use a spy has for a whistle.